I always felt a little lost as to what I should aim to do during my high school experience. I watched those around me take on interesting subjects such as Chemistry, Business, Physics, and Legal Studies while I was too caught up in everything to choose my own path.
Being naturally interested in the world around me, I could not single out one field I liked the most, so ended up choosing a little of everything for my HSC. After my exams, I continued searching for my true passion, and eventually came across the complex world of Human Resources studies and internships.
Determined to follow through with what I had set out to do, I started researching job opportunities that would allow me to build upon the skills and knowledge I learned in university within a real-world setting, but soon came across a rather large obstacle; my lack of experience.
I came to realise that the Human Resources job market was fiercely competitive, with both domestic and international students competing with each other to get into the industry. Having done a little bit of a LinkedIn stalk of my peers and industry professionals, I grew to understand the value of experience by employers, and of course allowed me to evaluate my own experiences and opened my eyes as to who I’d have to compete with when applying for work,
After almost giving up on the idea that I could find an entry point into this prospering industry, I came across an internship ad for a Recruitment role. I applied, and, within a few days, I was contacted and called for an interview. After being informed that it was a success (I was called during one of my university lectures and ended up running out of the room), I knew it was time to begin my new journey.
The First Day.
My feelings were all intertwined with each other – I was nervous, hopeful, and so riddled in excitement with what the day would be to come. Today would be the first day for the rest of my life in working towards a career in Human Resources.
10AM rolled around, walking into the office space I will admit was quite overwhelming – observing the buzzing of the phones, followed by the constant loud simultaneous tapping of everyone on their keyboards. This was business.
I was greeted by my beaming co-worker with whom, I have been able to build a close mentor-mentee relationship with over the 3 months. Whisked away, I was shown the ropes of the company – the software (of which to be Salesforce), the general mapped overview of the company, the general tasks I’d be doing on a daily basis, an overview of do’s and don’ts in professional communication and a quick discussion on the expectations of the company throughout my internship.
11:30AM on the dot, I was put right into it, with my own computer and phone, I was tasked with contacting key clients and candidates, ensuring that both as key stakeholders to the business were happy. Working alongside the Recruitment Consultants within such a close proximity and given such responsibility on my first day felt inspiring and amazing.
That first day I felt inspired and motivated, if this was what working in Recruitment would be like within the Human Resources field of work I wanted to be immersed in it, pick up the tools of the trade and network with the professionals more than ever.
Without delving into the specifics of the actual work (Confidentiality and all) I was invited to meetings, able to set up interviews, and well attain jobs for people! An amazing feeling. The recognition and constant encouragement as provided by the staff made me feel valued as an intern, while building my confidence which I didn’t know I needed before.
3 months on, having completed the internship, what I have come to learn has been above and beyond what I thought I knew about Human Resources. It expanded my horizon and certainly established and developed my corporate skills – skills I don’t think I would have picked up within the confines of a classroom.
Whilst knowledge gained from the classrooms is important, I think that work experience is equally important – if not more. I was able to gain an insight into the industry, the actual tasks that are carried out, what I can expect when I eventually go on to working within the Recruitment industry of Human Resources, and of course the relationships I have been able to build within the company. Moving forward, I believe I can integrate with more ease when going into my first job and especially have much more confidence in terms of communicating professionally over the phone, email and amongst colleagues.